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Why steps or distance differ between challenge and home screen

Pacer Support
  • Updated

It’s normal to see different numbers on your Home screen vs a Challenge leaderboard. In most cases, the Challenge is not showing “everything you did today”—it’s showing only what counts under that Challenge’s rules (time window, limits, and activity requirements).

 

How the numbers are calculated

Home screen

Your Home screen typically shows your overall daily total (for your local day) based on your current tracking setup.

 

Challenge leaderboard

A Challenge leaderboard only counts activity that matches the Challenge’s rules and schedule, including:

  • Challenge type (Steps vs Distance vs Daily Step Goal)
  • Start/end dates (and end-of-day cutoff)
  • Timezone handling (based on the challenge creator’s timezone)
  • Daily caps (step limit / distance limit)

  • Optional restrictions like “GPS-only” for distance challenges

     

The most common reasons your Challenge total is different

1) The Challenge uses a different “day” cutoff (timezone)

Challenges can count days using the creator’s time zone, so your “today” on the Home screen may not match the Challenge’s “today.”

 

Example: It’s already “tomorrow” for the Challenge creator’s timezone, but still “today” for you (or the opposite). Your Home screen and Challenge day totals won’t align.

 

2) The Challenge has a daily step/distance limit (cap)

Many challenges set a maximum that can be credited per day:

  • Daily step limit (default shown as 30,000/day in the challenge setup example)
  • Daily distance limit (default shown as 20 km/day in the challenge setup example)

 

If you exceed the cap, your Home screen will keep increasing, but the Challenge score will stop increasing for that day.

 

3) The Challenge may require GPS-tracked activities (Distance Challenge)

Some Distance Challenges can be configured to only allow GPS-tracked activities, which means normal background pedometer steps (daily walking) may not count toward the Challenge.

 

Symptom: Home screen shows steps increasing, but Challenge distance stays at 0 (or barely moves) unless you record a GPS walk/run.

 

4) The Challenge is counting a different metric than you expect

Challenge types behave differently:

  • Step Challenge: ranks by total steps credited to the challenge 
  • Distance Challenge: ranks by distance credited 
  • Daily Step Goal: you earn points per day by hitting the goal (it’s not the same as your step total)

 

If you’re comparing “Home steps” to a Daily Step Goal leaderboard, the Challenge may show points, not steps.

 

5) Sync delays (wearables / hubs / background refresh)

If your steps come from a wearable or a hub (e.g., Apple Health / Google Fit), the Home screen and Challenge leaderboard can update at different times. A short delay is common, especially if:

  • Your phone hasn’t synced recently 
  • The app was closed in the background 
  • The wearable data arrives later (after the activity)

 

What to do (quick checklist)

  1. Open the Challenge page and look for the Rules / Details section 
    • Confirm the challenge type, dates, and whether GPS-only is enabled.
  2. Check daily caps 
    • If you’re above the daily step/distance limit, the Challenge won’t increase further today.
  3. If it’s a Distance Challenge, confirm whether GPS is required
  4. Force a refresh 
    • Open Pacer → go to the Challenge → wait a few seconds and refresh the page (or reopen the app).
  5. If the mismatch is across midnight 
    • Remember the Challenge day can follow the creator’s timezone, not yours.